


the slug club

by eg1701



Series: Lucy Weasley-Wood [17]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Gen, M/M, Slug Club, Slytherin Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eg1701/pseuds/eg1701
Summary: Lucy attends a Slub Club dinner and she and Slughorn chat.
Relationships: Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Series: Lucy Weasley-Wood [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1399813
Comments: 12
Kudos: 58





	the slug club

**Author's Note:**

> note 1: I'm alive! i know i haven't been active on here in a bit. tbh the past few months have been not easy mentally, and i'm only just getting past some serious writer's block.  
> 2: this series is not over! i have plans for many more stories, i've just been having trouble getting them onto the page.  
> 3: the world is nuts right now. hope you're safe and healthy.  
> 4: idk why i'm having emotions over slughorn.

Lucy made it a point to attend every Slug Club dinner she could. She knew it was a silly thing, that Slughorn played favorites when he probably shouldn’t have, and it probably wasn’t her Potions talent, but her last name that had gotten her in the Club in the first place, but Slughorn knew a lot of people, and maybe somehow this would matter.  


Molly attended infrequently, usually citing Quidditch as a reason, but Slughorn either didn’t realize, or didn’t care if she was absent in the first place, and took Lucy’s apology on Molly’s behalf every time.  


The dinners were held down in Slughorn’s office, a round table set up, and chairs were pushed around it, usually so the attendees were far too close together for comfort.  


Lucy had been an official Slug Club member since her first year, but she’d been so caught up in Hogwarts, that she hadn’t gone to many of the dinners. Second year she started making it a habit. It would be good, to have a nice quiet dinner sometimes, even if she had to listen to Ministry kids, and the kids who’s uncles and father’s and aunts had discovered potions and magical creatures. When she was a second year, there was a horribly pretentious seventh year whose mother played for Appleby Arrows, and who had glared at Lucy the moment he heard her last name, and continued to glare at her every dinner until Puddlemere had crushed the Arrows 270-30 in a game that spring.  


It was easy to enjoy them if you didn’t think too much.  


It was clear that Slughorn had his own agenda, wanted to know the students who would be high up in the Ministry, who would be famous and important once they graduated, and who might just remember the nice dinners their Potions professor had hosted. Lucy knew this, she understood it, and frankly she was a little impressed by it. This was what her dad had done, when he’d first gotten a job at the Ministry, tried to get in the good graces of people he thought could help him. Sometimes, when Oliver was annoyed with him, he’d call him Weatherby. Once, Molly had asked what that was all about, and after blushing furiously, Percy had admitted that his old boss either didn’t know his name in the first place or had forgotten it at some point, and decided Weatherby was close enough. For several weeks, Molly had taken to introducing herself as Molly Weatherby-Wood to anyone she met.  


Both of her parents had graduated a few years before Slughorn had returned to his Potions teaching job, but he didn’t let that bother him. Percy had made a name for himself in the Ministry, and Oliver was a renowned Keeper. Lucy’s name was enough for him to be interested in her for his club.  


Besides, Lucy was the first Weasley in Slytherin, and she knew that meant something to him, even if she didn’t know what exactly it was.  


At sixteen, Lucy was a prefect, was aiming for Head Girl, and had done exceptionally well on her OWLS. If Slughorn hadn’t wanted her before, he would have certainly collected her then.  


She stayed behind to help him clean nearly every dinner starting her fourth year, and this evening was no exception.  


“Thoughtful of you Miss Weasley,” he said, and she smiled, waving her wand so the clean plates would stack themselves in the cabinet. She was practising silent magic as much as she could, but the plates still wobbled slightly on their way to their place. He said something like that everytime, thanking her for sticking around.  


“Not a problem professor.”  


“How are your parents?” he asked, “I saw your father’s picture in the paper. Puddlemere United might just snatch the championship this year.”  


Lucy nodded, and tucked her wand back into her robes, “We’re hoping so sir. He’s looking to retire in the next few years, and another championship under his belt would be a fine note to retire on.”  


“Ah retirement,” Slughorn said, pouring himself a glass of wine and settling into his armchair. Lucy perched herself on the edge of the sofa, hands on her knees, and legs crossed at the ankle, “I’m thinking this might be my last year here.”  


“Oh really sir?”  


He nodded, and took a sip of his wine, “It’s been a long time after all.”  


“You deserve it sir. A nice peaceful retirement.”  


He smiled, “What’s your father thinking of doing with his retirement? A Quidditch player’s salary is nothing to chuckle at I’m sure.”  


Lucy smiled, “He won’t ever come back to the ground, that’s what dad always says. Rumor is the flying professor’s job will be open in the next few years, and I know Professor McGonagall would hire him. I think I’m going to mention it to him when I’m home for the holidays.”  


“And how is our Head of Magical Transportation? Any new laws I should know about?”  


“He’s busy as always. Apparently there’s some trouble with the Floo Network, but that seems to be an ongoing problem. People always want to change up the Network without going through the proper channels. It makes him frightfully annoyed.”  


“I could never have worked at the Ministry. Too much bureaucracy, but I think you’ll do well there. Very principled.”  


“Thank you professor,” Lucy said, pulling on her braid, “I appreciate all you’ve done for me. It was… strange, to be away from my sister, away from my family. I know dad, that is my dad Percy, expected me to be sorted into Slytherin, but I don’t think anybody else did.”  


“I taught your grandparents, your sister’s namesake of course, the first Molly Weasley. Both model Gryffindors. I was not surprised to hear all your uncles and aunt followed their footsteps.”  


She nodded, “I know I could have told the hat I didn’t want to be in Slytherin, Uncle Harry did, so did dad. I’m sure lots of people have asked, but I didn’t want to.”  


“You know Lucy,” Slughorn said, “I taught You Know Who, when he was your age.”  


Lucy nodded, “Professor Potter told me.”  


Slughorn seemed to be considering his words. A lot of her classmates teased her because she liked Slughorn. She knew he picked favorites, and maybe she was one, but deep down, he was a good person.  


“He was wicked smart, but there was something underlying, something I didn’t see then. I think about him sometimes, when I teach my classes, and meet students with so much potential. He could have been brilliant, but he was a monster.”  


They were silent for a moment.  
“No matter,” Slughorn said, his voice light again, as if he had shaken off the memory, “The past is done, and we’re looking towards the future. It’s late and you should get off to bed Miss Weasley.”  


“Goodnight professor,” Lucy said, standing up and stifling a yawn. It had grown rather late, and the dungeons would be freezing on her walk back.  


“You’ll make Slytherin proud,” he said, and she made her way towards the door, "I have no doubt about that.  


She paused, turned, and smiled, “Thank you sir.”

**Author's Note:**

> and that's that. nothing much, but i'm just getting back into the groove of things slowly but surely.
> 
> you know where to find me. don't be afraid to reach out if things are tough rn and u just want to chat. 
> 
> i've got some non-lucy percy/oliver content in the works as well.
> 
> appreciate you as always. hope to have some more for you sooner rather than later.


End file.
